


No one survives slavery

by Contevent



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Daxam, Daxamite, Future AU, Gen, Happens a few years after the Supergirl series, Karamel is only mentionned, Mon El isn't put in a good light, Slavery, it's quite angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 00:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10525008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Contevent/pseuds/Contevent
Summary: A few years after the event of Supergirl, the world has moved to a new era. Earth is now a neutral ground for the galactic community, and Supergirl one of its ambassador. A group of Daxamite recently convinced Mon El to return to Daxam, and help overthrow the artistocratic counsel that tries to keep the planet the way it was.But the day before his departure, Supergirl is asked to a strange meeting at the alien bar.One that will remind her that no one escape his past.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ringer-rum-runner](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ringer-rum-runner).



> Written following a post by Ringer-Rum-Runner, of Tumblr, whose righteous fury never fail to inspire.

It was rush hour at the alien bar. Usually Kara never went when it was so crowded, since none of her friends were free at those times. Neither was her, to be perfectly honest, but she had made an exception. It wasn't a request for Kara, but for Supergirl.

Time had passed on National City, and Supergirl had been at the center of a great change. The alien migrations did not stop, with Earth becoming part of a larger universe, and earthling fearing the new age of mankind. Supergirl and Superman helped the process go smoothly, and now, thanks to their never ending efforts, their adoptive planet had become a neutral ground, a safe passage where aliens could stay a while, rest, and then either begin a new life as earthlings or continue their wandering.

Most aliens were drifters, whole civilizations unbound to one system of planets, going from biospheres to biospheres, living a life on the road and stopping on Earth like they’d stopped everywhere else. Others were there for the scenery, or out of curiosity, Earth having been the place of many great battles, the home of the last two kryptonians, and of course the newest addition to the vast galactic society.  
And others had a very specific purpose in mind.  
One of them was a group of Daxamite, who arrived a few months back. They called themselves “Valor”, and were going to great length not to be discovered. As part of the Standing Accords, Earth had agreed not to inquire too much, in exchange for no problem on their territory, but the established custom was that any group would have to announce themselves to one of Earth’s protectors.  
It had been done already. They wanted Mon El to accompanied them in their revolution to free Daxam. And he had accepted.  
And so, when one of its leader asked for a second, more discreet meeting the day prior to their departure, Supergirl was intrigued.

She had disguised herself as a Hellgrammite, a useful disguise Alex had used several time during her infiltration missions. It didn’t changed her radically, but Winn’s genius assured her that none would see Supergirl in her, nor Kara Danvers.  
She sat at the table in the back, in front of a large, muscular man, wearing a comically light colored T shirt with a Statue of Liberty on it. He looked like a father in mid life crisis, trying to fit in with the young, slowly drinking his beverage, eyeing the bar with a strange intensity. When Kara sat down, he looked puzzled at first, his kind blue eyes expressing a bit of amusement. Then he deduced who she was.

 _“Hello Supergirl. I didn’t expect you to go in disguise._  
_-You did ask for it to be private. I think I would have attracted a lot of attention coming here with my cape._  
He laughed a little.  
_-I suppose you’re right.”_

The voices around them drowned their conversation. The member of Valor stared at her, as if he was trying to decipher her, to pull something out of her by his sole gaze. Kara felt uncomfortable, but mostly curious. What was the meaning of all this? And why was she so uneasy in his presence?

 _“Why did you want us to meet?_  
_-There’s…_ he started. _Hum… There’s a story that I want to tell you. It’s an old story. I don’t think there’s anyone else alive that knows it._  
He paused  
_-Intrigued?”_

Supergirl stayed religiously silent. She knew that man, she had dealt with him before. He was the eldest leader of Valor, and its most efficient warrior and tactician. Always reserved, always silent. He never took part in any political discussion, leaving it to the younger, more idealistic members of Valor. The only times he addressed Kara were in times of urgency, like during the Pole Plague, of the White Martian Uprising. He wasn’t one to speak idly. She knew it. Whatever he wanted to talk about, it was important.

_“We hu…, we came here for Mon El. That’s not new. You know, the resistance, the overthrowing of the old royalty. The rebirth of Daxam. All that. To my fellow fighters, that guy, the prince, is like an old tale. It’s blurry, they don’t know much about it, but they do know that he refused to follow his mother. So maybe, he’ll help them against the Aristocratic Counsel that survived her. But, hu…, you see that’s not the first I get to meet him.”_

He poured himself a drink. His hands were slightly shaking.

_“I don’t know how old I am. Slaves are told we do not have age, and the only important dates in our lives are the day when we meet our masters. And we believed them. So, I have no idea when exactly I met Mon El, but I do remember her looked not a year older than he does now. It was… well, it’s strange when I think of it now. Being a slave. It’s… different than you can imagine. Even daxamites can’t seem to remember, most of them were born outside of it. I… I remember. But I can’t put it into words...”_  
_“There’s no time when you’re a slave. And there’s no you either. You don’t think of tomorrow, and you don’t think of you, because, you only think about your master, and when he’s going to need something, and how, and with who and… And you don’t think of anything else. There’s no tomorrow for a slave. There’s only the master. But me, I had something else. I had Nana.”_

He smiled.

_“Nana was my sister. I think. I don’t know. We grew up together, and, well, we were one. Not like those crappy families who love each other. When you’re no one, when you’re only the master, it leaves a void in you, but you don’t know it. I was her, and she was me.”_

_“Whatever. I called her Nana, and she called me Nana too. And we went through a lot together. The masters liked it. They said it was cute. They said it made us look **sentient.** ”_

The glass broke in his hand, letting the green liquid gushing out on the table. His face was as serene as if he was observing a fly. Kara took a towel from the side of the bar, but the elder gently refused her offer and started to swipe his own mess. No one was paying attention to them. Everyone was looking a baseball match at the television.

_“So, hum, I was saying that we, Nana, we were together. And we had been bought by the royal family at some point, I think they liked our dance. And hu… I met Mon El. He. He wanted to have sex with me.”_

Kara could feel a ball in her stomach. Mon El and her never talked about his days as Prince, and they had left it at that. In the past. She didn’t want to hear more, but… but the way he looked at her. Behind the calm. A rage, so powerful, so burning. A man so wounded. She couldn’t just leave him like that, even if she wanted nothing but flee.

_“Do not look that shocked, it happens all the time. I had sex as a child with many people. Women loves that, and they share us, call us little bees. Called I should say. There aren’t many more child slave nowadays. So, hu, he wanted to have sex with me and Nana. The more the merrier he said. And… And I think I made a mistake. I don’t know, even now. I, hu… I looked at him in the eyes. It’s not something you do you see, it reminds them that you’re not meat. They hate that. And we hate that too you know? Life is better when you're meat. But I thought of Nana. And him. And, I thought… no. And he read it on my face. He beat me. And his bodyguards beat me. Well, he slapped me, and the others hit me with their pain stick until I couldn’t feel my body. I think he was going to kill me. And when I looked up, I saw Nana. She was intact, but she looked sad. So sad. It saved me. Mon El asked them to stop, because it made her sad. And he didn’t like that. And so I was disposed of, dragged outside, while he went and had sex with Nana.”_

Hiding her hands trembling, Kara continued to give the elder her undivided attention. The Daxamite continued to look behind her regularly, to the bar. Mon El wasn’t here today. They both knew it. But every time he did, Kara’s guts froze, for her thoughts immediately turned to him. Leaving her submerged by conflicting emotions.  
Without a care in the world, he carried on.

_“So, I was sent on a ship. I don’t know to were, they didn’t tell me of course. It was a merchant ship. I think. Lots of cargo. Lots of us, slaves. I was away from Nana. Well, I wasn’t Nana any more, but Nana was still here. I didn’t understand what had happened. I just knew that I had disappointed my master, and that I was bad. I hoped that I hadn’t contaminated Nana with my evil. But I’ll never know, because you see, Daxam was bombarded with whatever was left of Krypton, and I was in a ship.”_

He had finished cleaning the table, and threw the towel to a waiter, who thanked him. Kara was afraid now. She was beginning to understand why she had been called here.

_“After that, it’s a long a pretty boring story. I rebelled, or something like that, and I began killing people. Every master I could find, Daxamite or no. I had my captain period, where I would board ship and kill the captain. You know, because he was giving orders. I was a bit stupid back then, but hey… And so I met with other Daxamite, and they told me about the Royal Family. Big fishes, so I accepted their offer. And here I am, around 30 years later. All the giving-orders are dead, and the new generation is all against slavery. But, hu, they don’t know slavery._  
_-W… why are you telling me all this. What are you planning to do._  
_-You’re scared I’m going to kill Mon El aren’t you? That I’ll put a little pill of lead through his ear and watch him squirm. Well… You’re right. I’m going to kill Mon El.”_

She nearly got up, but the elder raised his palm in complete serenity, trying to calm her down.

_“Not right now. Not right here. I’ll kill him, but not before he help us destroy the Aristocratic Counsel on Daxam. My boys, my fellow fighters are dead set on returning to Daxam and rebuilt it better than it was. To them it’s like a home they never had, not one of them actually lived in it. Maybe if they did, they wouldn't want to go back. But hey, I’m a team player. I won’t spoil their dream. And you know what? He accepted. He’ll say goodbye to Earth tomorrow, to go be the Prince of his People. But he will die. I’ll make sure he’ll suffer all the way through. And you’re not going to tell him.”_

It was absurd, it was monstrous, it was evil! It was unacceptable. But Kara knew the elder was playing her. He knew that if he disclosed private information to an alien official, she would break the accords. Earth was neutral and did not partake in political conspiracies. They didn’t ask questions, as long as it wasn’t on their soil. So… she… she couldn’t technically warn Mon El. But she could try to take the elder out.  
She saw in his eyes that he was waiting for her. He was ready, ready to kill, ready to die. But most all, he understood. She was torn apart, and he had planned it all the way through.

 _“Why…_ she asked, overpowered by emotions. _Why are you doing this._  
_-To you? Or to him?_

She didn’t dare say “to him”.

_“I know you love him. I can’t kill his family, and I can’t kill you. It would be against the 47 precepts of Oa that allows one to live without fear, of others or himself. But I know you are a good woman. And I wanted you to suffer to have come to love him._  
_-I… You.._  
_-You may kill me, or prevent me from leaving, but don’t worry about it. Mon El is already dead. Whether he stays or leave, he’ll die. The only question is, will you destroy everything you have built for Earth and for the galaxy in order to save the one that made us suffer so, and never lift a finger afterward until we begged him for help.”_

She didn’t know.  
There, at the alien bar. Surrounded by the howling of joy, as the local team scored a final point, surrounded by the exiled, the hurt, the lost.  
She didn’t know.


End file.
